Monthly Archives: July 2011

i keep seeing boots and shorts done up really well (like so), so i thought i’d have a go at it.

also this was a really cheap outfit. the only thing i possibly paid full price for was these shorts, which was at least five years ago… i don’t wear shorts often, but it was very close to 100 degrees today, and we do not have central air.

Like this:

ravelry was tempting me today. i saw some really beautiful patterns that made me want to go out and buy new yarn (like this shawl and this one too, plus i pinned this yesterday, that would be pretty easy to knit!). and then i remembered that i was broke. well, not broke, but all of my money is busy doing other things. but it makes me feel broke, sometimes. oh, yeah, and i’m trying to stash bust…

and somehow feeling broke makes me want to go shopping? i bought a bracelet for $1 today. and then, when i got home, there was more jewelry waiting for me! so today, i wore no jewelry all day at work, but now, lounging at home in a hand-me-down t-shirt from my grandpa (read: grandma made him put it in the rag box, and i stole it out of there because that’s when t-shirts are their softest) i am wearing two bracelets and two necklaces.

this view makes me happy. i love these vibrant cords with the cheerful polish.

if all goes well, i should have a surprise for you guys very soon! i know, don’t you love vague promises? i hate ’em too. but i’m terrible at keeping secrets (jake always guesses what his presents are), so i have to say something…

the heat wave we’ve been having finally broke! i took advantage of the situation to celebrate a season i’m looking forward to: fall.

i’m also dipping into some of the inspiration i found but could not use during my 30 for 30. and! to give full credit where credit is due, jake came up with this outfit.

i missed these boots so much during the 30 for 30… last year, i put my winter boots away so well that i didn’t find them again until a few weeks ago. so finally in january, i sprang for a new pair of boots (these, in case i’m not being clear enough here). and then i wore them everyday! almost. i loves them.

Like this:

they’ve been done for eons now. maybe not eons… but i honestly can’t remember when i finished them, which means it was probably at least a month ago? thanks to caitlin for lending me her feetsies for models.

pattern: garter rib socks from sensational knitted socks (i own tooooo many sock patterns. they are totally my weakness. i own scads and scads of them. every time i think ‘no, i can’t buy any more sock books, surely i have enough for one lifetime,’ i find two more sock books i’m pretty certain i can’t live without. it’s a strange illness to have.)
yarn: some lovely bright koigu kppm that was a christmas present from me gram.
needles: US size 2 (2.75 mm)

the only mods i made were to keep doing the garter rib down the heel flap. although i’m not sure what counts as a mod for this pattern book, as everything is customizable. i think it was nikkinimble who extolled the virtues of this book, and if anyone can inspire me to knit socks, it’s her.

Like this:

as you may or may not know, i have been trying to stash bust. i have enough projects mapped out, yarn at the ready, to last me for a little while. i’d like to get through some of those, instead of continually back-burner-ing them.

my rain on bricks was actually a partial stash-buster. between some christmas yarn jake bought me, with the additional yarn purchased with gift certificates, i managed to not spend any money on the yarn. but the cowl didn’t use up all of the skeins, so i couldn’t technically count them as de-stashed. so i came up with another plan.

toast! i modified the stripe sequence to suit a much much smaller tube of knitting, inverted the colors, and knit a couple of rows flat to make a thumbhole for maximum flexibility.

one down, one to go. if this doesn’t use up the majority of the leftover yarn, i might have to make a matching hat!

Like this:

i don’t need to look chic or trendy everyday. but i would like to look intentional. put together. even if it’s just jeans and a t-shirt, i’d like it to look curated as well as comfortable.

there’s actually two pieces that never made it into any final outfits (grey shorts, and a grey tank. i chose too many grey items, i tell you!). so this is really more of a 28 for 30 remix… next time: more color, more variance in my selection (two knee length black skirts? really? how many grey t’s? c’mon!), more flats, less heels (when confronted with everyday comfort decisions, flats won. i may still try to use heels, but i gotta be real about the decisions i’m likely to make, too.).

and looking at a hundred magazines won’t tell me what looks good on me. you know what will? looking at a hundred pictures of me, wearing clothes i always wear.

* are the outfits that i had never tried before, and i really liked them… these will be repeat offenders.

i definitely intend to do another 30 for 30 in the fall. i’ve really enjoyed this process, but in the mean time should i keep sharing my outfits? it probably wouldn’t be a daily thing. but two to three times a week is certainly a possibility. what do you think, guys? have you enjoyed this departure from my usual knitting stuff? would you be interested in my continued efforts to look presentable? is there anything i’m missing here? do you guys think i got any better at this outfit making endeavor?